The Conference
by ShipsoftheLine
Summary: Nick is called away to a five-day Police Convention. How will Judy fare with her favorite fox gone?


A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! Sort of. Updates are probably going to remain as sporadic as they have been, but I do really appreciate all of the support I've been getting thus far. House Rules and Domesticity will hopefully both be getting their own new chapters soon, though no promises. In the meantime, this was one of the other fic projects I've had kicking around for a while, so I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

"Wilde! My office!"

Nick winced. Being called into Bogo's office usually didn't spell out wonderful events to follow. Judy followed him in, only for Bogo to look at her and and say:

"Not you, Wilde, _him_ Wilde. I need a better way to call you out separately."

Nick looked at his rabbit partner and shrugged. Chief Bogo didn't usually have a reason to talk to one of them individually. He entered the large office and clambered his way into the similarly large chair facing Bogo's desk, then looked expectantly at his superior. Bogo, keeping in his typical nature, didn't keep his vulpine officer waiting long.

"As you might know, the biennial five-day Law Enforcement convention is coming up, and all precincts are sending teams to attend and swap skills and take part in workshops. This time around, I'd like for you to be part of that team. Commissioner Howlend was asking as to whether or not Precinct One would like to have a workshop leader or keynote speaker, and I volunteered you to talk about your experience with the underground con-world here in Zootopia."

He paused to squint at the fox officer.

"That's not a problem, is it, Wilde?"

It was phrased as a rhetorical question, but Nick knew what the Chief was really asking. He was wondering if it bothered Nick to talk about his checkered past, light as though it was, before he became an officer. The cape buffalo was a disciplinarian at heart, and would never allow his taking of emotions into consideration be revealed outright. _But that doesn't mean the big guy doesn't care_ , Nick thought.

"Not at all, Chief. Thanks for asking."

Bogo nodded his approval.

"Excellent, you'll leave next Monday with a few of the other officers, and you should be back by Friday. Clawhauser will have your tickets and registration forms ready by clock-out. In the meantime, we'll find Lieutenant Wilde a temporary partner."

"Who else am I going with?"

"Officers Henders, Trunkaby, and Tunners from Forensics."

"Gotcha, Chief."

"Good, dismissed."

As Nick exited the room, Judy hopped off the waiting chair beside the door and looked at him.

"So, what kind of trouble did you land yourself into this time, Slick?"

"Oh ha ha, Carrots. _I'm_ the one who is always in trouble, huh? I'll have you know that I've done such a good job, the Chief said he doesn't even need me around next week."

That caught Judy off guard.

"Wait, really?"

"Well, he's shipping me off to a cop convention that comes around every two years, apparently."

"Oh! The Law Enforcement convention! I went when you were in the Academy! Gave a talk on small-size advantages and diversity in the service and learned a whole lot! I still have my notes from it and everything!"

"Ah yes, being small certainly is one of your strong suits, isn't it?"

Judy punched him as they walked toward their desks to collect and submit the day's patrol summaries.

"Who else is heading off with you?"

Nick rattled off the other few officers' names, and Judy considered them. Francine was an old friend and a veteran on the force, but no matter how many years you had under the belt, it was good to pick up new skills. Judy figured she'd enjoy herself, and her temporary absence would also give some of the newer recruits a chance at a real beat for once.

"Henders is the the Jackal officer that transferred in from the Sahara Square precinct, right? She's pretty nice!"

"Yep. She's a fine gal, and a good sense of humor. She helped me plan that April Fool's prank on Bogo a few months back."

"Wait, that was Nalani who helped you? But she had only been at Precinct One for a month when you guys pulled that!" Judy exclaimed, her mind wandering back to April 1st, when Nick and a co-conspirator who he swore not to name at the time had managed to get a hidden camera into Bogo's office that fed footage to the breakroom TV. That day, all of the officers in the Precinct were treated to a livestream of Bogo's rendition to the Tiger Dance from Gazelle's hit single "Try Everything." Needless to say, Nick became something of a folk hero to the officers that day, and Bogo received more compliments on his dance moves from his officers than he ever wanted to in his entire life.

"Truth be told, I myself was pretty surprised she went through with it and helped me sneak the camera in and patch it into the breakroom. But when I asked if she was sure, she just flashed me a smile, shot me a wink and told me 'anything for a morale boost to the rabble, right, Wilde?' Girl's got guts, Carrots."

Judy smiled. Though she didn't know Nalani too well, the few opportunities she had to work with her were pleasant occasions. Her sense of humor radiated toward others, making her quite the magnetic personality, and though she didn't have Nick's dry wit, she made up for it with a substantial helping of playful mischievousness that had on more than one occasion left some of the other male officers, and a few female ones too, slack-jawed or tongue-tied. If the Precinct rumor mill was to be believed, Officer Wolford had quite the soft spot for the coyote, though it was anyone's guess whether Nalani had any reciprocal feelings in that regard. _They would look pretty cute together, though_ , Judy thought. _Cheese and crackers, I'm getting to be as bad as Clawhauser when he first found out about our partnership_. _Then again, in the long run, he was right about us..._ Judy shook her head.

"Hey, Earth to Carrots, you still with me?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking about that whole thing with Nalani and Mark."

"Ah, yep. She's got the poor wolf all wrapped up around her pretty finger, and she knows it. Which reminds me, there's something to bring up on the long train ride out to the convention center."

Judy rolled her eyes as she handed deposited the folder of summaries into the collection box mounted against the wall.

"You've no right to say anything about being whipped, Wilde. Or did you forget last night?"

Nick scoffed and turned away. He _did_ remember last night. He remembered that in the middle of giving his bunny wife a foot rub after a long day, he decided to test his love's patience with a few tickles. He remembered how he had just started wiggling his finger against the sensitive sole of Judy's foot when she dissuaded him with such ferocious venom in her voice that he surprised both her and himself by meeking submitting with a "yes ma'am." He chalked it up to marriage making him soft and survival instinct deciding that a bunny kick to the jaw was not a good time, but that didn't stop Judy from rubbing it in.

The two of them approached the locker rooms and entered. It'd been a day on the lighter side as far as workload went, and Judy didn't feel the need for a shower. Instead, she opened up her locker and began changing out of her beat uniform. To her left, Nick had done so as well. As he unbuttoned, he spoke up, continuing their conversation.

"Last on the list, of course, is Tunners, he's a tech from the Forensics Lab. I think he's an otter."

"Huh, don't really know him that well," Judy replied. "But hey, make some new friends, won'tcha, Slick?"

Nick slipped on a T-shirt before turning to cast a sly grin at Judy.

"Aww, but Carrots, you're all I need, don't you know that?"

Judy just rolled her eyes as she folded up her uniform. It was a tired line, one that she'd heard plenty of times from her partner. Yet that small grin that tugged at her mouth just wouldn't let up.

* * *

Sunday Night:

The sound of running water was easily detectable to Judy's ears as she sat on the bed, making progress through her bedside novel. She briefly put the book down and looked around the bedroom. It was somewhat strange to see the luggage with Nick's clothes around the room without a matching set of baggage for her own things. She shrugged. It was just going to be a few days, after all.

Nick spat out his toothpaste and began to brush his fur. From the bathroom, he called to his wife.

"So Carrots, the gang and I head out tomorrow."

"I know, what'll I ever do without my handsome fox, right?"

He finished brushing and stepped out into the bedroom, where his wife was presenting him the most heartwrenchingly adorable pout.

"This bed is going to seem a lot bigger for the next couple of days, isn't it?"

He smiled warmly at her and crawled into bed, wrapping his arms around her and cradling her in his embrace.

"Hey, it'll only be for a few days, ok? You'll be in my heart and thoughts all the while, Carrots."

As the breath from his words ticked her fur, Judy swore that no matter how many years of marriage they get under their belt, Nick's flair for spontaneous romance would still make her swoon. She sighs contently into his chest.

"Bring me back the notes you take, ok? So I can see what they covered this time around?"

"I wasn't planning on taking notes…"

Judy hit him with her sniffly-rabbit eyes. She heard Nick gulp and saw him turn to look away, so she quickly threw in a lip quiver just before he could avert his gaze. Her voice is hushed and soft when she speaks, tugging gently at his arm.

"Please?"

A sigh signaled the end of Nick's resistance.

"I'll never win so long as you have those bewitching eyes, will I? Look, if you're going to weaponize your cuteness, at least admit that you are in fact cute, alright?"

She just smiled. _Dumb fox,_ she thought. My _dumb fox_ , she amended. There was a moment of quiet before Judy spoke up again.

"Hey Nick? I really hope you enjoy yourself. The convention is a great experience, and it's always good to see what other precincts are up to."

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty excited. Plus, I hope to get to know the others going a better." He turned to look at Judy. "Gotta make friends, right?"

He noticed Judy looked a little down. It was only ever so slight, but to him, it was clear as day.

"What's wrong, Carrots?"

"Nothing, Nick… just… hurry back when you're done, ok?"

"Awww, is my little bunny going to miss me?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Slick, it's only five days" she said sassily. However, her voice lowered quite a bit as she continued. "But also … yes."

He smiled, and said with a slight growl: "Well, Carrots, anything I can do for you before I go tomorrow morning?"

"Dumb fox, you need your rest. Even if we had started earlier you wouldn't have gotten any sleep, and you need to be at the train station early tomorrow!"

"Guess we'll just have to make up for it when I get back then, hmm, Carrots?"

"I'll hold you to that promise. Now get some sleep, you've got a big day ahead of you."

"Yes, mother dearest."

He got a swat to the head for that. Chuckling softly to himself, Nick leaned over to turn off the bedside lamp Judy was reading with. In the darkness, he nuzzled Judy and softly kissed the top of her head and the bases of her ears. He whispered a soft goodnight into her ears, and fell asleep.


End file.
